Lost Ottoman Treasure

LOST OTTOMAN TREASURES
SEVEN GLORIOUS
OTTOMAN CITIES
Dr. Waleed Hakeem

LOST TREASURES OF THE OTTOMANS:
7 GLORIOUS OTTOMAN CITIES
Forward
In the name of Allah. The most gracious the most merciful.
It has almost been a century since the end of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1923.
For nearly 5 centuries, the Ottomans have kept Muslim nations united under one
Caliphate, protected the holy sights of Makkah, Madinah, and especially
Jerusalem and Palestine from multiple crusades and Mongolian invasions, spread
Islam in the entire Eastern half of Europe, built train lines connecting Makkah to
Istanbul to Vienna in the heart of Europe, and left behind many treasures that are
worth discovering.
These lost Ottoman treasures, is what this book is all about. As I have been
sharing my travels around the world on social media to 75,000+ of my page
followers, passing through 100+ countries which Allah has blessed me to visit
over a span of 8 years, I have been asked multiple times by my brothers and
sisters to write a book which could be used as guide for those who would like to
travel and explore Allah’s beautiful earth, and especially at this time where
interest in Ottoman history has reached the peak due to the popularity of the
international hit series “Resurrection: Ertugrul.”
This book is yours. You could use it as a guide book to plan your next Ottoman
trip, or you could use it as a virtual travel book where you enjoy the journey
sitting on your most comfortable seat while sipping a Turkish coffee or an
aromatic fruit tea, imaging yourself on a time machine going through timeless
treasures. The choice is yours. This isn’t only a guide book however. I have shared
with you inspiring stories and history that would keep you entertained and
educated insha’Allah!
Please enjoy this book, and share it with all your friends and family.
Dr. Waleed Hakeem
Director of Ilm Path Academy
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Table of Contents
Today, Ottomans treasures are present in 30+ countries. However, most
people neither have the time or resources to visit all the thousands of Ottoman
treasures that survived until this day. As a result, I have chosen 7 glorious
Ottoman cities that contain the largest and most impressive structures and
stories, which all could be conveniently visited as daytrips from the city of
Istanbul, or as a short trip that could fit in a week, a day for each city, or
extended to a few weeks. The choice is yours:
The 7 Glorious Ottoman Cities:

About the Author ...................................................................................................................3
Ottoman Empire Tour (15-22 June, 2019)................................................................................4
1) Eyup: Resting place of the Prophet’s ‫ ﷺ‬Host ......................................................................5
2) Iznik: Byzantine Relics before Islam .................................................................................. 10
3) Sogut: The hometown of Ertugrul ..................................................................................... 14
4) Bursa: The First Capital of the Ottomans ........................................................................... 17
5) Edirne: The Gateway to Europe ........................................................................................ 21
6) Lüleburgaz: Masterpiece of Architect Sinan....................................................................... 25
7) Istanbul: Longest Capital of the Muslims ........................................................................... 26
Conclusion: The Great Announcement .................................................................................. 31
Watch the 7 Glorious Ottoman Cities Video! ......................................................................... 36
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About the Author

Known as "The Traveling Imam", Dr. Waleed Hakeem has journeyed to
more than 100+ countries in all 6 continents around the globe spreading the
message of Islam & Personal Development Training, from the villages of China, to
the arctic North of Canada, to the mountains of Europe, to the jungles of South
America, he can draw the world map from memory! He is the founder and
director of Ilm Path Academy (ilmpath.com) & a professor at Almaghrib institute.
After teaching the History of Andalus to 4000+ students in a dozen countries, Dr.
Waleed has researched Ottoman history for over 8 years, learning the deep
history hands-on by visiting 78 Ottoman cities in 24 countries that were under
Ottoman rule. His powerful delivery style & engaging instruction has earned him
invitations to teach Islamic History in universities all around the world!
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Ottoman Empire Tour (15-22 June, 2019)

Would you like to follow the footsteps of Ertugrul & his descendants by
living their detailed life stories on location? Would you like to join us on an
exciting educational Ottoman tour this summer insha’Allah?
To learn more, visit: www.ilmpath.com/Ottoman
We will visit all the cities in this guide insha’Allah
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1) Eyup: Resting place of the Prophet’s ‫ ﷺ‬Host

Our journey starts in Eyup city (now an area in the West of Istanbul),
which is named after the well-known Sahabee, Abu Ayub Al-Ansaari (may
Allah be pleased with him), who along with his wife Ummu Ayub, has
hosted Prophet Muhammed ‫ ﷺ‬in his own home for 7 months after he
migrated to the city of Madinah.
Abu Ayub, and many other prominent companions, such as Ibn

Abbas, Ibn Umar, and Abdullah ibn Al-Zubair, may Allah be pleased with
them, heard the Hadith of Prophet Muhamemd ‫“ ﷺ‬Constantinople will be
opened, so what a great army its army would be, and what a great prince
its prince would be.” They all decided to join the first group that would
attempt the siege of Constantinople, under the leadership of Yazid ibn
Muawiyah in the year 52 Hijri (674 A.D Gregorian), during the reign of the
Umayyad Caliph and the companion Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan may Allah be
pleased with him.
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The expedition and siege, which lasted over 4 years, was

unsuccessful, and as a result, many of the companions peace be upon them
died in the siege. Abu Ayub, who never missed a battle with Prophet
Muhammed ‫ﷺ‬, was 90 years old at that time. He became extremely sick
during the siege, so he asked to be buried as close to the city walls as
possible “If I die, put me on a ride, then go as close as possible towards the
city and burry me”.
As a result, Abu Ayub is buried right outside the city walls of Istanbul,
and the entire area today is named after him. It is the most religious area of
Istanbul, full of Islamic book shops and handicrafts with Islamic arts, and
today, is the busiest area in Istanbul during the holy month of Ramadan, as
the mosque of Abu Ayub gets more people praying Tarawih than any of
other 3,113 masjids that exist in Istanbul!
Figure 1: Dr. Waleed Hakeem in front of the entrance of Abu Ayub Al-Ansaari's Grave
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The Masjid of Eyup was built in 1458,

only 5 years after the opening of
Constantinople by Sultan Muhammed
Al-Fatih, therefore, it is one of the
first and oldest surviving mosques
from the Ottoman era. It has been
renovated again in 1798 by Sultan
Selim III after a major earthquake
damaged the structure, and extra
minartes were erected duing the time
of Sultan Mahmud II in 1822.
Another important historical

event that happened periodically
in the town of Eyup, is the
ceremony of the appointment of
the new Sultan, which took place
on the “Sultan’s road” in Eyup, out
of respect to the Sahabah peace be
upon them, just a short walk from
the mosque. The main part of the
ceremony includes the girding of
the sword of Shaykh Edebali, the
father-in-law of Osman Gazi, founder of the Ottoman empire, who gifted it
to the first Sultan as a wedding gift for marrying his daughter and was
inherited by each subsequent Sultan. The sword was always handed to the
Sultan by the current Grand Mufti, to symbolize respect to the scholars of
Islam by the Sultans. The ceremony started at the time of Orhan Gazi in
1323, and was performed with 35 Sultans across 6 centuries until the final
Sultan Muhammed VI in 1918, the only ceremony recorded on video!
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Figure 2: Sultan's Street in Eyup, where the girding of the sword ceremony took place for each newly appointed
Sultan.Sulta
If you want to have a bird’s eye view of Istanbul, Eyup has a cable car
near the mosque, which takes you up on of the adjacent hills, and has
magnificent views overlooking the entire city of Istanbul, where you could
sit down and relax while sipping exotic flavours of Turkish herbal and fruit
teas. The cable car may get extremely crowded in the high season though,
so make sure to arrive well in advance. The best time to visit probably
would be just before sunset, as you get the full dayl-time view, the orange
sunset sky, and then the glittering night lights of the city.
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Figure 3: The Eyup Cable Car, with panoramic views of Istanbul
I am not normally a fan of buying souvenirs, but honestly, the quality of the
Islamic art in the Eyup area shops are very impressive, and the prices are
very affordable as they are priced for locals and not for tourists (fixed
pricing), so I couldn’t resist taking a few items back home to display in my
humble living room.
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2) Iznik: Byzantine Relics before Islam

The town of Iznik was the capital of the Byzantine Empire of Nicaea,
which later became the capital of the first Turkic state in Anatolia, known as
the Sultanate of Rum. Today Iznik is still surrounded by ancient city walls
with four major gates, each gate named after the town that it leads to, and
they are 15 minutes each from the town centre, thus Iznik is small enough
to be explored by foot. Iznik can be reached from Istanbul by minibus, as it
is just about 90 km away.
Figure 4: Iznik city walls.
The main attraction in Iznik is the

Haghia Sophia church. While smaller than
the similarly named famous church in
Istanbul, it holds more historical
importance as the seventh council of
Christianity, which was an orthodox
attempt to develop a unified Christianity.
The church was turned into a Mosque
shortly after the Ottoman conquest by
adding a minaret, and after it suffered
from a major fire and infrastructural ruin
about a century ago, it was restored
again in 2011 as a mosque. Figure 5: Iznik Hagia Sofia Mosque
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The second attraction is the

Green Mosque (Yeşil Camii), built
in 1391 by Sultan Murad I. It has
an impressive minarat tower
covered with green and bluish-
green, mosaics and tiles, which
gives the mosque its name. Due to
the age of the mosque, the
architectural style resembles the
older Seljuk style instead of the
Figure 6: The Green Mosque of Iznik
more recent Ottoman style.
The highlight of the city however, in my opinion, is the Imaret

(charity complex) of Nilufer Hatun, the wife of the second Ottoman sultan
Murad. The complex, built in 1331, includes a soup kitchen, a mosque, and
caravanserais (hotels for travelers). Thus, the wife of the Sultan invented
the soup kitchen concept for feeding the poor, a full 450 years before
Europeans claims that Benjamin Thompson of Bavaria invented this in
1791. By 1530, just two centuries later, the concept has been copied in 83
cities around the Ottoman empire, and today the soup kitchen concept for
the poor and homeless is present all over the world!
Figure 7: Iznik Imaret, the first soup kitchen complex
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The famous traveler Ibn Battuta, has visited the Iznik soup kitchen in
1335, just 4 years after it was built. He described the complex as containing
a kitchen, dining room, and rooms for workers. The poor and the workers
ate for free, but rich people also ate here for a fee, which is a testimony to
the good quality of the good. This payment supported the cost of the
complex. There was even a home delivery services for the sick, disabled,
and the scholars, whom their time was considered very valuable!
Figure 8: Inside the Iznik Ottoman soup kitchen (Imaret)
The menu changed seasonally

depending on the crops. Some examples
include Chickpea soup (Nohut Corbasi),
crushed wheat soup, and on special
occasions such as Eid, mutton meat and
Zerde (sweet saffron rice) were offered.
Bread and butter were always served as
side items. Travellers also were given
room and food free of charge for 3 days,
and if they wanted to stay longer, they
could pay a fee. They were also given
honey as a bonus, since they needed
extra energy to continue their journey. Figure 9: Zerde (Sweet saffron rice) for festivals.
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Figure 10: Caravanserai (free Ottoman hotels for travellers).
The Esrefzade mosque,

while recently built in 2007, its
minaret was constructed in the
16th century, just near the
Green mosque. The minaret
resembles the design of a
lighthouse.
Figure 11: Panoramic view of Iznik
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3) Sogut: The hometown of Ertugrul

Sogut, a small town with a population of
just under 20,000, is the hometown of Ertugrul
and the birthplace of his son Osman Gazi, the
founder of the Ottoman empire. The town of
Sogut was named after a sub-branch of the
Kayi tribe that Osman belongs to. The tribe of
the Kayi used Sogut as their residence centre
until the establishment of the first official
capital of the Ottomans Bursa in 1335.
Figure 12: Ertugrul Gazi, father of Osman
Before Islam reached Sogut, it was

under the control of the Nicean Byzantine
Empire, until Ertugrul and his small tribe defeated
them in 1231 by helping the Seljuks’ Sultan Aladdin. Ertugrul established
Sogut as the main residence
for the tribe, and used it as
the centre for his expansion
into the 23 surrounding
villages which were under
Byzantine control. Towards
the end of his life, Ertugrul
was controlling an area of
4,000 square kilometers,
before handing it to his son
Osman in 1299, who forever
expanded the size of their
land to 16,000 km and
established the foundation of
the Ottoman empire named
after him.
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For the fans of the “Resurrection: Ertugrul” TV drama, the town

contains his grave, surrounded by super tall guards dressed in traditional
Kayi tribe uniforms, who are happy to pose with tourists for photos. The
Ertugrul museum could also be visited to learn about the impressive history
of this hero. It contains displays of old clothes, carpets, weighing
instruments, flags, weapons and coin purses. There are also archaeological
items such as earthenware kitchen tools from the Roman Empire and coins
from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman eras.
Nearby, you could visit the

Ertugrul mosque, which was the
first mosque built by the Kayi
tribe in the 13th century, and one
of the oldest surviving mosques
in Anatolia. It is very unique for
having a deep well at the back.
Ertugrul, as the tribe leader, used
to test the water for poisoning
before other tribe members
would drink from it.
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The town of Sogut has several special events throughout the year.
For example, during the second week of September every year, the Ertugrul
festival takes place, with many live displays, such as horse riding by trained
archers, folkloric tales, and sword-fighting demonstrations. The town also
has a live market which is open every Thursday and visited by all
surrounding villages. And for those who love the outdoors, the town is
surrounded by stunning mountain views.
The famous television series Resurrection Ertugrul, which covered

the biography of the father of the founder of the Ottoman empire Osman
Gazi has achieved worldwide fame, as the high production value costed $1
million dollars per episode. A group of 60 artists spent 3 months in
Mongolia to design the clothes, tents and set, which has used more than
4000 square meters of of fabric, in addition to 1000 swords. The actors
took 3 month of horse riding, archery and sword training from nomads in
Kazakhstan, and the president of Turkey supported the series for promoting
Islamic values and sparking an interest in Ottoman history among the youth
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4) Bursa: The First Capital of the Ottomans

The city of Bursa, which is surrounded by beautiful mountains and
near the sea of Marmara, had a highly strategic importance that both
Osman and his son Orhan sieged this city for a combined period of 6 years.
It was, after all, the closest fortified city near Constantinople (the old name
for Istanbul), as everyone wanted to become the hero which Prophet
Muhammed peace be upon him described as “a great prince”, referring to
the conqueror of Constantinople.
Osman, the founder of the Ottoman empire, died after 3 years of

sieging Bursa, so his son Orhan continued after his father for another 3
years. There are several reasons why this took very long. The city walls
were extremely thick, and about 3400 meters long, with 14 surveillance
towers, and 6 massive gates, all which could be seen and visited today.
Finally, Allah granted them victory in 1326 after a 2,000 days siege. Today,
In the area of Tophane in Bursa, both Osman and Orhan are buried.
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Due to the fortification and strategic location, the city of Bursa was
established as the first official capital of the Ottomans. The famous traveler
Ibn Battuta, visited the city in 1331, just 5 years after the conquest. Calling
it “an enjoyable city,” he described it “with fine bazaars and wide streets,
surrounded on all sides by gardens and running springs.” He also met with
Sultan Orhan and was very pleased with the help he received to continue
his journey around the world. Today, you could experience what Ibn
Battuta saw after nearly 7 centuries as you stroll through told old town.
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Today, Bursa is the fourth

largest city in Turkey, and is
famous for its peach, chestnut,
and silk. The mountain of Uludag,
with the height of 2,543 meters,
is one of the highest mountains in
Turkey, and is considered the
centre of winter sports in Turkey,
as well as a pleasant cable car trip
to the summit during summer.
There are at least a dozen of
mosques worth visiting in Bursa, but
the single most important one is Ulu
Cami (Grand Mosque). Built by Sultan
Beyazid (the 4th Sultan) in 1399, it
uniquely contains 20 domes, and has
a very interesting story. During the
battle of Nicopolis in 1396 against 12
Christian nations, the Sultan made an
oath to Allah to build 20 mosques if
he was granted victory. He indeed
was granted a decisive victory, but his
ministers told him that logistically it is not possible to build 20 mosques due
to cost and labour issues. He asked the Grand Mufti for a fatwa, who
clarified that the wording of the oath was “20 domes.” Therefore, instead
of building 20 mosques, Bayezid built one mosque with 20 domes :)
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The other mosque not to be

missed in Bursa, is the Yeşil
Camii (green mosque).
Adjacent to it is a wonderful
tomb completely covered by
tiles inside and out, where
Sultan Muhammed I (the
grandfather of Sultan
Muhammed Al-Fatih) was
buried in 1420. The mosque
is very unusual in that it has
a fountain inside the prayer area - with lots of legends attached to it. Beside
it are tea gardens with spectacular views over the Bursa valley and Uludag
mountain. Part of the mosque complex is also the Museum of Turkish and
Islamic Art, which is small but well worth the visit if you are in the area,
considering that it is free of charge.
The Darüzziyafe building in the
Muradiye district has a stunningly
restored historical building that
now serves as a family restaurant
with pure Ottoman cuisine, which is
difficult to find in the modern city.
The last stop on your list must be
the Cumalıkızık (Jumuah village),
which was built 7 centuries ago,
and contains 265 coloured
timbered houses that are well
preserved in time. It was named
after the weekly Friday market, and
you will see houses in yellow, blue,
white, purple, green, and orange
colours, a true eye candy.
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5) Edirne: The Gateway to Europe

The ancient Greek city of Adrianople, located at the junction of the
borders of Turkey, Greece, and Bulgaria, is considered the Turkish gateway
to Europe. As a result, it became the 2nd capital of the Ottomans in 1369
upon the conquest of Sultan Murad I (the Grandson of Osman the founder),
which was subsequently renamed to Edirne. If you were crossing from
Europe to Turkey by road, this would be your first stop after the border.
The most important sight in

Edirne is the Selimiye Mosque, a
grandiose piece of art by Mimar
Sinan, the Ottoman architect of
the 16th century. Selimiye is
usually considered the zenith of
Ottoman architecture and has
been listed as a World Heritage
site by UNESCO in 2011. Sinan
himself considered this building as
his best work. The dome of the
building, which hangs high over
the main hall, encloses a huge
space which gives the place an expansive atmosphere. It had the largest
diameter (31.28 m) of all domes in the world for several centuries. The
minarets (towers) at the height of 71 meters, are also the second highest
minarets in whole world. The mosque has an impressive 999 windows!
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Just to the north of Selimiye

mosque, you could witness the Üç
Şerefeli (three balconies) Mosque.
This mosque is easily recognizable
for having four distinctive minarets
that all have very different designs,
which was very uncommon during
the 15th century, one of which has
three balconies. The interior of the
mosque, which features a
colourfully decorated central dome,
has recently been re-opened for
visits, and contains smaller
surrounding domes of various sizes
each featuring a different colour
pattern. The overall experience of
this colourful mosque is perhaps
best summarized as "joyful".
Worth a stop, the Medical Museum of

Edirne has been awarded “European
Museum of the Year” in early 2000s. It
was essentially a mental institution
used during Ottoman times, part of the
Beyazıd Complex. It was notable for its
progressive approach towards its
patients. Instead of locking them into
cells with shackles, which was
widespread during that time, methods
such as meditative nasheeds or flower
gardens were tried in this institution.
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Not to be missed,
the old Edirne train
station (Karaağaç) has a
beautiful building, which
currently houses the
faculty of fine arts from
Trakya University. The
train station was the
main connection
between Turkey and
Europe, where you could
take a direct train to as far as Vienna, Austria. It was built just across the
Marista river in order to avoid building a new bridge across the river. After
the Turkish-Greek war of 1919, it was agreed that the Marista river would
become the border between the two countries, however, since this station
is on the other side of the river, it got an exception and it was made a
Turkish territory. Karaağaç has an atmosphere of a small town rather than a
city neighbourhood of Edirne, with many charming mansions scattered
around its grid plan, well worth a morning or afternoon visit.
No trip to Edirne would be complete without visiting and crossing one of

the five famous bridges of Edrine across the beautiful Marista river, all
connecting Turkey to Europe. The bridge of Sultan Muhammed Al-Fatih,
built in 1452, just a year before the conquest of Istanbul, was part of the
plan to surround Istanbul and siege it.
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If you happen to be in Erdirne during the months of Summer, you could

watch the national sport of Turkey, oil wrestling, which is only second in
popularity after football. The bodies of the wrestlers are covered in oil to
add an extra layer of difficulty while they race to throw each other on the
ground. The winner gets the title başpehlivan (chief of all wrestlers).
Edirne is also famous for its natural

fruit-shaped soaps. They could be
used either for cleaning or
decoration, and can also be used
as natural air freshners as they
release their aromatic fragrances
in the room. A very popular gift
item among visitors. Try them all!
Before leaving Edirne on a hungry

stomach, try the famous local
delicacy “ciğer”, which is deep fried
liver, served with crunchy dried
peppers. It is cheap and tasty, and
often served with Ayran (yoghurt
drink) to cool off the spice of the
peppers. Afiyet Olsun (bon appetite)!
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6) Lüleburgaz: Masterpiece of Architect Sinan

Mimar Sinan, the chief architect during
the golden age of Sultan Suleiman the
Magnificent, is undoubtly the greatest
architect in the 6 century history of the
Ottomans. He remained as the chef architect
for 50 years spanning an era of 3 sultans. He
was responsible for the construction of over
300 buildings, including Mosques, schools,
palaces, fortresses and bridges. His apprentices
would later design the Sultan Ahmed Mosque
in Istanbul, the famous Mostar bridge, and the
Taj Mahal in the Mughal empire. European
architects often compare him to Michelangelo.
One of the highlights of architect

Sinan is the Mosque of Muhammed
Pasha in the town of Luleburgaz, built
during the 16th century, as well as the
bridge by the same name. They were
both named after the Grand Vizier
(minister) Sokollu Mehmet Pasha. They
both deserve a short day trip from the
city of Edirne.
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7) Istanbul: Longest Capital of the Muslims

Quite possibly the most beautiful capital city in the world, Istanbul
has been the longest capital the united Muslim Ummah ever had, after
changing from Madinah at the time of Prophet Muhammed peace be upon
and the four caliphs, to Damascus during the Umayyads, to Baghdad during
the Abbasids, Istanbul served as our longest and final capital for 5
centuries. With 20 million inhabitants, it’s also the largest city in Europe.
Every visit to Istanbul must start in the Sultan Ahmet area, where
most attractions are concentrated. And if you want an authentic
experience, it is recommended that you stay in an old hotel in this area,
rather than the more modern hotels in Taksim square. You will hear the
loud wonderful Athan coming out of the famous blue mosque. Stroll to the
nearby Byzantine church of Aya Sophia, which was the most important
church in the Byzantine
empire, turned into a
mosque by Sultan
Muhammed Al-Fatih after
the conquest of Istanbul.
Other attractions in the
area are the Islamic Art
Museum and Cemberlitas
(underground water
cistern) built in 532 A.D.
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For those who love the sea aroma and seafood, walk North of the
Sultan Ahmet area to end up on the Galata bridge, take a stroll across the
bridge to witness the fisherman trying to acquire their catch of the day, or
taste some of the sea muscles stuffed with rice and exotic spices with juicy
lemon squeezed on top, or walk under the bridge on either side and choose
from three dozens of seafood restaurants as you watch the ships sail back
and forth across the Bosporus bridge.
Once you are done eating every type of sea creature, take a boat and
enjoy the scenic 20 minute ferry ride to the Asian side of Istanbul. After all,
this is the only city in the world split between two continents! If you have
time, take the longer 2 hours boat to see as much of Istanbul as possible.
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If you want to see a bird’s eye view of Istanbul, then take an easy hike
upwards to the Galata tower, where the stunning 360 panormaic view of
Istanbul will show you the past, the present, and the under-construction
future simultaneously from one place. This city is still growing rapidly!
After coming down from Galata, it might be time to visit the palace of
the Sultans, Topkapi Sarai. Built by Sultan Muhammed Alfatih in 1459, just 6
years after the conquest of Istanbul, the palace was subsequently occupied
by every Ottoman Sultan for 3 centuries. The Topkapi palace complex
includes a wonderful palace garden open 24/7, as well as the sacred relics,
a collection of Prophet Muhammed’s peace be upon him belongings on
display, in addition to a court, an Ottoman college for the distinguished
janissaries, as well as the house of the Ottomans family (the harem).
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By 1856, Sultan Abdulmejid moved from Topkapi palace to the newly built,
European style Dolmabahce palace, which was the last palace the Sultans
occupied until the end of the Caliphate in 1923. It was built on the
Bosphorous straight, and could only be visited with a guided tour that lasts
90 minutes, displaying each chamber with an informative explanation.
If you want to see my favourite museum in Turkey (possibly in the

world), then visit the military museum of Istanbul. Oddly enough, most
tourists don’t know about it, as it is about 3km north of the tourist area, but
you could spend all day seeing all the weapons the ottomans used across 6
centuries, panoramas of the most important battles, customs of the
soldiers across all eras, and live performance of the janissary soldiers.
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If you are tired of Istanbul’s extreme traffic rush, take a short day trip with
a boat to “Princes Island,” where no cars or vehicles are allowed, and the
only form of transportation you could use is your own feet, or better yet, a
majestic horse ride across the old beautiful homes and flowers around the
island. The island was named as such, because it was used as a prison for
any Ottoman prince who broke the law to live in exile. If that’s how a prison
looks like, please do give me the harshest sentence there is! :)
For your final stop in Turkey, you may want to head to the Grand Bazaar,
the world’s largest and oldest running market. With over 4,000 shops
broken down by type of merchandise, you won’t run out of choices any
time soon: books, jewelry, food, carpets, and every Ottoman souvenir!
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Conclusion: The Great Announcement

Alhamdulillah, this concludes our
journey of the 7 glorious Ottoman cities,
but this is not the end, but rather the
beginning of discovery of the vast
Ottoman history present in 30+ countries!
Which brings me to the good news.
I will insha’Allah record the 625 years of
Ottoman history on location here in
Turkey, in the places where events have
taken place, and share it with you!
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At Ilm Path Academy, our slogan is “Knowledge through Virtual

Travel,” as we recorded all our Quran and History courses in the heart of
nature around the magnificent creation of Allah, so you would feel like you
are joining me in the journey, and you would never feel bored while
learning insha’Allah! Our vision is to record 188 courses in the next few
years, and we would like you to join us and help us in that dream. Below
are some of the courses we have planned to record:
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Here is how you could join our Ilm Path Courses:

 Join Dr. Waleed’s FB page: facebook.com/dr.waleed.hakeem
 Join Ilm Path’s FB Group: facebook.com/groups/ilmpath/
 Subscribe: youtube.com/channel/UC3Il8pFuv6crotrBUTOl-Xg
 Enjoy my travels and join our mailing list: www.ilmpath.com
33
Would you like to host the Ottoman Empire Course in YOUR OWN CITY?
Alhamdulilah, we have offered the RISE OF
THE OTTOMANS course in the city of
London to a record attendance of over
700+ brothers and sisters in one day!
Insha’Allah we would love to bring this
valuable knowledge to many cities around
the world, so if you like to host it in your
city or local mosque, please contact us at
www.ilmpath.com/contact .
Check out our stunning course slides!
34
Our Travel Partner
Alhamdulillah, while travelling

around Spain to film the History of
Andalus course for IlmPath.com, Allah
put brother Tariq and myself in the
path of each other, and I had the
honour of meeting him. He is the
founder of Andalucian Routes, and has
been conducting Andalus tours for
Muslims for over 17 years masha’Allah!
What makes Andalucian Routes unique
among all tour operators, is that rather than being a traditional tour company
which shows you site by site with basic explanations and random facts that may
be irrelevant, they have created a special hybrid between Islamic courses and
vacation tours to create high quality educational tours, where the focus is on
personal transformation through travel, learning the history from a Muslim
perspective and making it applicable to our world issues today.
That is why, their tours are organized in chronological order and not
simply going from city-by-city in convenience order. As a family-owned business,
brother Tariq pits his heart and soul into organizing the tour.
It is my honour to build this partnership between Ilm Path and Andalusian
Routes. It will be my pleasure to become their tour guide for many future tours!
Please pay them a visit at: http://www.islamic-spain.com

And check out our upcoming tour: www.ilmpath.com/ottoman
35
Watch the 7 Glorious Ottoman Cities Video!
Enjoy the video version of this e-book, and travel with your eyes!
See you in another Ilm Path journey and book insha’Allah! :)

Dr. Waleed Hakeem
Founder of Ilm Path Academy
36

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LOST OTTOMAN TREASURES

Dr. Waleed Hakeem

The 7 Glorious Ottoman Cities:

About the Author

Ottoman Empire Tour (15-22 June, 2019)

To learn more, visit: www.ilmpath.com/Ottoman

We will visit all the cities in this guide insha’Allah

1) Eyup: Resting place of the Prophet’s ‫ ﷺ‬Host

Abu Ayub, and many other prominent companions, such as Ibn

The expedition and siege, which lasted over 4 years, was

The Masjid of Eyup was built in 1458,

Another important historical

Figure 3: The Eyup Cable Car, with panoramic views of Istanbul

2) Iznik: Byzantine Relics before Islam

Figure 4: Iznik city walls.

The main attraction in Iznik is the

The second attraction is the

The highlight of the city however, in my opinion, is the Imaret

Figure 7: Iznik Imaret, the first soup kitchen complex

Figure 8: Inside the Iznik Ottoman soup kitchen (Imaret)

The menu changed seasonally

Figure 10: Caravanserai (free Ottoman hotels for travellers).

The Esrefzade mosque,

Figure 11: Panoramic view of Iznik

3) Sogut: The hometown of Ertugrul

Before Islam reached Sogut, it was

For the fans of the “Resurrection: Ertugrul” TV drama, the town

Nearby, you could visit the

The famous television series Resurrection Ertugrul, which covered

4) Bursa: The First Capital of the Ottomans

Osman, the founder of the Ottoman empire, died after 3 years of

Today, Bursa is the fourth

The other mosque not to be

5) Edirne: The Gateway to Europe

The most important sight in

Just to the north of Selimiye

Worth a stop, the Medical Museum of

No trip to Edirne would be complete without visiting and crossing one of

If you happen to be in Erdirne during the months of Summer, you could

Edirne is also famous for its natural

Before leaving Edirne on a hungry

6) Lüleburgaz: Masterpiece of Architect Sinan

One of the highlights of architect

7) Istanbul: Longest Capital of the Muslims

If you want to see my favourite museum in Turkey (possibly in the

Conclusion: The Great Announcement

At Ilm Path Academy, our slogan is “Knowledge through Virtual

Here is how you could join our Ilm Path Courses:

Our Travel Partner

Alhamdulillah, while travelling

Please pay them a visit at: http://www.islamic-spain.com

Watch the 7 Glorious Ottoman Cities Video!

See you in another Ilm Path journey and book insha’Allah! :)

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